Iran Threatens Google Over Nameless Gulf

The body of water separating Iran from the Arabian peninsula is nameless on Google Maps, and Iran isn't happy about it. Iran's foreign ministry accuses Google of dropping the name Persian Gulf "as one of the seditionist acts taken as part of the soft war against the Iranian nation," Reuters reports. The ministry says Google will face legal action and "serious damages" if it does not label the gulf—known as the Arabian Gulf to Arab nations—the Persian Gulf.

Iranian media caused a national uproar earlier this month when it reported that Google had dropped the name Persian Gulf. But Google says the body of water has been left unlabeled from the start, notes the BBC. Iran has often criticized organizations for failing to use the name Persian Gulf. In 2010, the second Islamic Solidarity Games were canceled after Arab and Iranian organizers failed to reach an agreement on how to label the gulf on medals. (More Iran stories.)